Traphill

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Traphill is name of a rural community located in northeastern Wilkes County, North Carolina. The community is located in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains. Traphill is listed as a ZIP Code Tabulation Area (ZCTA) by the U.S. Census Bureau. According to the 2000 Census, the population of Traphill was 1,936.

[edit] History

The community was settled by British pioneers in the 1750's, and was named after the large number of fur trappers who settled there. In the 1850's Chang and Eng Bunker, the world-famous Siamese twins who were a popular attraction in Europe, Asia, and North America, settled in the Traphill community. They married two local sisters, Chang to Adelaide Yates and Eng to Sarah Ann Yates. Chang and Adelaide had ten children; Eng and Sarah had twelve. During the American Civil War the residents of Traphill were strongly opposed to secession and remained loyal to the Union. The men of Traphill often formed bands of raiders which attacked Confederate militia units. The residents of Traphill also helped deserters hide from the Confederate Army and hid escaped Union POWs from nearby prisoner-of-war camps. In the twentieth century Traphill became a center of moonshining, or the production of illegal homemade liquor. This often led to violence between the moonshiners and "revenuers" - federal agents who raided the moonshine stills and destroyed them. So much fighting occurred in Traphill between the moonshiners and revenuers that the area known as Wiles Ridge earned the nickname "cutthroat ridge". After a Traphill resident killed the Sheriff of Wilkes County in 1936, it was said that the "law wouldn't have nuthin' to do with Traphill." Today Traphill is mostly a quiet farming community known for its mountain scenery. Stone Mountain State Park, one of North Carolina's most visited state parks, is located in Traphill; the park's presence has led to many out-of-state residents (especially from Florida) building summer homes in the area.